If your development cannot deliver its mandatory 10% biodiversity net gain on site or through the off-site market, the fallback — statutory biodiversity credits sold by the government — starts at £42,000 per credit and rises to £650,000 for the most sensitive habitats. And because of the spatial risk multiplier, you must buy two credits for every unit you are short.
Those prices are set deliberately high. This page gives the 2026 figures in one table, explains the multiplier, and sets out the cheaper routes most small schemes should take instead.
Statutory biodiversity credit prices 2026
Prices from the government's official list (last updated 2 June 2026, reviewed every six months with at least ten weeks' notice of changes):
| Credit tier | Typical habitats | Price per credit |
|---|---|---|
| Tier A1 (lowest) | Low-distinctiveness area habitats, e.g. simple grassland | £42,000 |
| Tier A5 (highest area tier) | The most complex habitats, including various lake types | £650,000 |
| Tier H — hedgerows | Hedgerow habitats | £44,000 |
| Tier W — watercourses | Rivers and streams | £230,000 |
Intermediate tiers (A2–A4) sit between the A1 and A5 figures — the full tier-by-tier list is on GOV.UK.
The spatial risk multiplier: you pay double
Statutory credits carry a spatial risk multiplier of two — for every biodiversity unit your scheme is short, you must purchase two statutory credits. Combined with the deliberate mark-up in the prices themselves, a one-unit shortfall in even the cheapest tier costs £84,000. The government is explicit about the intent: statutory credits are a last resort, priced so as not to undercut the private off-site market.
Why are statutory credits so expensive?
- The prices are based on the cost to create, maintain and monitor each habitat type over the 30-year management period BNG requires.
- A mark-up is added on top so that buying from the government is never cheaper than the market.
- By comparison, off-site units on the private market are commonly quoted from around £20,000 per unit depending on habitat and region — often less than half the statutory route before the multiplier is even applied.
The BNG hierarchy: cheaper routes first
| Route | Order of preference | Cost character |
|---|---|---|
| On-site habitat creation or enhancement | 1st — preferred | Usually the cheapest for small sites: planting, hedgerows, wildflower areas, ponds |
| Off-site biodiversity units (private market) | 2nd | Market-priced, commonly from ~£20,000 per unit |
| Statutory biodiversity credits | 3rd — last resort | £42,000–£650,000 per credit, doubled by the multiplier |
For most householder-adjacent and small residential schemes, sensible landscape design gets to 10% on site — the statutory register exists for the cases where that genuinely is not possible, and your sustainability statement must evidence that you worked down the hierarchy in order.
Does 10% BNG apply to your application?
Mandatory BNG under the Environment Act 2021 applies to most planning applications in England, with exemptions including householder applications and certain self-build and small-scale exceptions — but where it applies, councils expect the metric calculations and a management commitment up front. The official biodiversity net gain guidance sets out the framework, and the Planning Advisory Service explains how authorities treat statutory credits.
How Fortress Associates can help
Our automated sustainability statement service produces a planning-ready statement in minutes, free — covering the 10% biodiversity net gain requirement under the Environment Act 2021, water efficiency with the 110 litres-per-person-per-day Part G calculator, urban greening (including the London Plan's Urban Greening Factor for London sites) and BREEAM where required, for every UK local authority. It is the quickest way to show your council you have taken the hierarchy seriously before anyone mentions a £42,000 credit. See our full range of planning reports or contact us about your site.
Sources & further reading
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